How Did It Turn Out Like This
by Blank Angel
Summary: Hurt. Pain. Angst. Tears. Heartche. Sorrow. Smiles. A little joy. ... That all comes along with life's package... Some people learn that the hard way. Initial AoKise.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Distance**

He had become distant since a while.

Kise sighed, as he lay awake, alone, in the middle of the night.

Sure, Aomine had come extremely late a few times in the years they'd been together… But that's just IT! He has ALWAYS come back! Never did he spend a night away from home… Yet, Kise knew he wouldn't come home today again.

He worried… Aomine hadn't come home at all TWICE that week!... Add today and that'll be thrice…

Not only that, but the navy-haired guy barely talked now_ that is to him: he'd always answer calls from everywhere and talk like usual…just not with the model, his spouse.

Kise worried his lip, trying to think back and remember if they'd fought about anything recently, but his mind came up blank.

Turning to his side, he curled up into a ball, a pearl dripping from the depths of his honey-brown pools onto his pillow.

* * *

**A/N: **_Irise this is so short! Demo, try to understand ~ssu!... There had to be some suspense!... Plus, I've only written one-shots for KnB till now ~ssu!..So I'm kind of nervous… Plus I don't know how you people will take this fic… _

_I'll just get one thing VERY much cleared here ~ssu : __**I am a DIE-HARD AoKise fan!..And I hate angst… Damn! I've had enough of it!... Then I must be crazy for writing this fic, ne?... Well..I guess.. maybe a little… Demo, I HAVE to get this out of my system ~ssu! **_

_Please don't kill me!_


	2. Knowledge

**Chapter 2: Knowledge**

It was early morning, and instead of cheery conversation, laughter, or even minor couple-bickering, a particular breakfast table was eerily quiet… But that had become a norm since a few weeks (which felt like years).

A blond figure merely picked at his food disheartedly, head bowed down to avoid eye-contact with the other occupant of the room.

On the other hand, the tanned man ate his breakfast slowly, eyes silently scanning the whole room… except for his current companion.

Neither attempted conversation, for they knew it would be in vain: they'd just end up arguing for no reason… It had happened quite a lot since some time now for them to predict what any conversation between them would lead to.

Aomine finished his breakfast, mumbled a short 'Thanks for the meal', and carried his plate to the sink before heading over to the bathroom to shower and get ready for work.

Kise let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. How had it come to this? He sat there for a few more minutes till he heard the bathroom door shut behind Aomine. Sighing, he covered his plate with foil and put it in the fridge before making his way to their room to make sure Aomine's uniform was ready.

_Good…_ Everything was- _Oh wait!_ Scurrying over to Aomines' drawers, he frantically started searching for a proper neck-tie for today. Honestly! How could Aomine forget the tie?! Sighing with relief as he found one, Kise took it out, smoothed it over and placed it on the pressed uniform of his partner that lay on the bed. Aomine would be out in a while: he should probably go see if his boots were polished.

Just as he stepped out of the room though, Aomines' phone rang, signaling an incoming call. Thinking it must be important, Kise rushed in and picked it up without bothering to check the caller-Id.

"Hello?"

No answer… Gulping, he tried again,

"Um, hello? This is Ryouta Aomine. Daiki's taking a bath. You can leave a message with –", the call is cut from the other end, "me…"

Taken aback and a bit confused, he goes to the call register to see who the caller had been… and was shocked to see the name '**Tetsu**' glaring up at him from the screen. He wasn't shocked that it was Kurokocchi calling so early in the morning. Neither was he shocked that his husband had even recorded his name as "Tetsu" in his phone… He was shocked at Kuroko's behavior: the boy was nothing but polite, had ALWAYS been!... Then how could he do such a rude thing as this to someone?!

No… He had probably cut the call by accident… But then he could have, _would_ have, called back, ne?

Deciding to take matters in his own hands for once, before his already-messed-up brain got the better of him, Kise called-back… But Kuroko didn't pick up.

Now getting a bit worried, Kise dialed again. With the same result.

Sweating a bit, he dialed again, only- … Only, this time the call wouldn't go_ meaning Kuroko had turned-off his phone…But _why_?!

As a worried Kise was bringing the phone down from his ear, a bird at their bedroom window suddenly fluttered its wings, startling him!... Which lead to him accidentally pressing buttons and opening Aomines' inbox.

What he saw surprised him again: Aomine's inbox was **filled **with messages.

From '_**Tetsu**_'.

'_Eh? Kurokocchi never seemed the type to be into texting…'_

Now curious to know what the teal-haired man could have possibly thought important enough to **text** about, he eagerly opened the latest message and scanned through it quickly…

Wait. _What?! _Re-reading it more carefully, his eyes bulged, and his face contorted into a horrified, **pained**, expression…

Quickly exiting the message to the inbox, he scanned through a few more of the texts, each one making his urge to puke stronger.

'Oh Aomine-kun. Thank you for the night.'

'I think it's about time you told Kise-kun'

'No. I won't call you "Daiki" until you are **mine**.'

'It doesn't matter. Come see me tonight.'

These horrible texts swam in his head… He didn't need to read Aomine's replies to know what the tanned man had said.

He sat there, head spinning, phone cradled loosely in his hand, heart very much broken… Until he heard the opening of the bathroom door.

Desperately, he got out of the last message he read, to the inbox, and then to the home-screen within seconds, tossed the phone as far as possible onto the bed and stood to dash out of the room. Just as he grabbed the handle though, the door was pushed open (towards him) and because of his momentum, sent Kise crashing backwards onto the floor, and at the feet of a baffled-looking towel-clad Aomine.

He didn't move to help the model up, just looked at him as if he'd fallen off a spaceship.

Rubbing his now-sore ass, he stood up and said innocently,

"Daikicchi? Kurokocchi called. I answered to let him know you were bathing and he just hung-up. Y'know, I even tried calling-back, but he wouldn't pick up"… all the while observing Aomine.

Aomine's face went through a series of emotions: shock, horror, relief…and then anger.

"Why did you answer my phone?" he growled in a low tone.

"Well", sidestepping the bluenette into the hall, "I thought it might be important. You'd better get dressed quickly" and left to check on Aomines shoes, trying to not think about how his chest ached.

* * *

**A/N:**** Ohio! ^^ Arigato for reading ~ssu!... Please don't kill me! I actually absolutely adore Kurokocchi… Don't ask me why this all is happening: ask my messed-up brain… Don't know where it came up with this crappy fic…. Gomenasai if you hate it…**

_**ryuichii: **__I know right?... I was hoping my last Author-note had explained this irony X3 Arigato gozaimasu for reading and reviewing! I hope this chapter was good enough?_

_**Lady Marshmallow: **__Hello there ma'am! Gehe! What a pleasure! 333 Really? I'm glad you like it ~ssu! (* ^w^)/ Awh! I know ne?! It's devastating! Arigato gozaimasu for the encouragement!_


	3. Shattered

**Chapter 3: Shatter**

He didn't realize how his hands were shaking as he grabbed a glass to pour himself some water so he could calm his erratically beating heart. And it fell from his hands, instantly shattering into a million pieces_ just like his heart.

* * *

_It had taken half an hour for Kise to calm down, heaving in shuddering breaths, after Aomine had left._

_He had tried to busy himself then with cleaning, doing the laundry, washing dishes etc. He had even taken a quick, scalding shower. The pain in his chest didn't become less though. But. He DID gain enough control over his outward emotions to not break down._

_He felt hollow. Betrayed. Devastated. Fooled._

* * *

Kneeling down beside the shards, Kise couldn't help the sinking feeling that took over him again. What could he do? The glass was lucky,ne? For it had broken only once. Whereas Kises' heart had repeatedly been shattering inside his chest since he'd read _**those **_texts. What was worse for him was that no one could hear his heart shattering. No one could feel his soul suffocating. And no one would care to clean the mess.

A tear escaped. Another fell.

He trudged to the kitchen, dragging his feet and brought a pan and brush to pick up the fallen glass.

* * *

**A/N:**_ Now that I've written it, this chapter seems pretty pointless ~ssu… Demo… I'm still putting it up because I believe it came to me for a reason. I guess there might be something in it that someone somewhere needs and will benefit from it…? I don't know. Still, gomenasai…and arigato for reading my worthless work. I wish my writing gets better..for your sakes._

_**Lady Marshmallow:**_Ohio! Gehe! I'm glad you liked the chapter! I-…well…I felt like killing _**myself **_for making them do that! …Gah! …I have a phobia of these types of fics where AoKuro happens, breaking Kises' heart either because of his unrequited feelings, or because Aomine cheats…-sigh-..And look at ME writing one myself now! (` -_-)

_**SeaWeedHead: **_Honestly, all of you precious peoples' reviews make me so happy! Awnh! I feel bad that my fic is making you dislike Kurokocchi more! I'm actually quite fond of him ~ssu! I know right?! I guess it's just human nature, ne? Awh! Arigato! Oh I'm sure you won't be disappointed! Kagamicchi is awesome, ne? And yes! KagaKise is my guilty pleasure too! ~(* ^w^)/!

_**Tinekraut: **_I know right? Poor Ki-chan!


	4. Meeting

**Chapter 4: Meeting**

**.**

**.**

Kise had spent the rest of that week in a haze. Aomine came home a couple nights (after midnight, mind you!), but nothing more. Kise was aware that they'd said the empty 'I'm leaving' 'Take care', 'I'm home' 'Welcome back's because he remembered glimpses of Aomines' moving mouth. He was sure he'd carried the acts out on auto-pilot.

Right now he was trudging- dragging his feet, head drooping- on his way back from the days' shoot. The shoot had taken kinda longer today than usual because of accidents that kept happening (No. It wasn't all Kise…everybody seemed kinda tired today), and it was now nearly sunset.

Something was different today. His head wasn't as in the clouds as the past week. And it terrified him! How would he survive if he was conscious of everything? How would he survive if he'd know every minute the truth about what Aomine and Kur- No! Wait! He would NOT think about it. Almost detachedly, he considered how Aomine would at least feel guilty if he were ran-over by a car right now… But then he seconded that thought: Nah! Aomine wouldn't feel any guilt now if it was HE himself who ran-over Kise!

Scoffing at his useless thoughts, he lifted his head a bit to at least see where he was going to (and to avoid walking into things), when he saw a shirt-clad, muscled chest a split-second before smashing into it… And almost falling backwards, only to be steadied by a quick, tanned hand wrapping around his upper arm.

"Eh? G-Gomenasai! I wasn't looking where I was going-"

"Sorry, wasn't looking where I was going-"

Confusion- and another emotion swirling within- honey-brown orbs shot up, only to clash with familiar blood-red ones which had now lost most of their fierceness.

Recovering first, Kise stuttered,

"K-Kagamicchi?! Sorry I bumped into you! I really wasn't looking-"

"It's ok …Kise? Well, blame doesn't fall completely to you; I wasn't looking either."

With that, an awkward silence fell over them, as both stood on the foot-path*, internally battling with themselves over just saying goodbye or asking their sort-of-friend for dinner or something.

This time, Kagami seemed to come to terms with himself first and voiced,

"So um… long time no see, ei? … Actually I saw you on postures and some adds but… What I'm trynna say is…um… wanna join me for dinner?"

Kise blinked.

Had he heard right? Kagami Taiga actually seemed to _**want **_to spend time with him…!

A bit taken aback by Kises silence, mistaking it for rejection (or mockery), he defiantly put in,

"Only if you absolutely feel like that is! It's not like I'll die if you say 'No': I have a life too y'know!"

"E-Eh?! No! That's not it ~ssu! I was just surprised that you seemed to **want **to hang-out with me!", Kise quickly cleared out. There was no way he'd let this perfect opportunity to distract himself go… At least not so easily. "I mean, you never seemed to like me much."

"That was because you were always hanging off of Kur-"…unable to complete the sentence, he trailed off, leaving it hanging in the air.

Before the awkward silence could settle in again, Kise grabbed Kagami by the arm and started pulling him in the direction of a close-by fast-food joint. Kagami, albeit somewhat surprised, didn't object and let himself be lead away silently.

Which of course didn't go unnoticed by the very-perceptive Kise,  
'_Hmmm… He's not even putting up a fight…'_

While Kagami was lost in his thoughts, '_Hmm… Maybe it's time I DID confront him… Running into him like this…It can't just be coincidental… I can't believe I'm thinking of destiny and fate… but this DOES feel like it..'_

* * *

They were seated across each other, kind of in an awkward silence, trying to figure out what to say- or in Kagami's case, HOW to say- while waiting for their order to arrive.

When it got too awkward and they finally broke under the awkwardness,  
"Eheheh! Sooo…-"  
"So, Kise-"  
their food arrived.

Kise heaved an internal sigh of relief, whereas Kagami teared at his hair and screamed internally. He had been SO close to talking to Kise about it, damn it!

Looking at him now though, he could tell that the blond was kind of lost in his own thought.

He remembered reading somewhere that if you look at a person long enough, with the right intensity, they'll feel it and look back at you. He decided to try it out, and also to use it to study the blonds' features a bit more closely.

At first glance, you'd see perfection. He was a model after all, what d'you expect?

But if studied more closely. You could see the dark rings under his eyes where his eyes had sunken (which were of course kind-of-concealed by the make-up).

Kagami's first thought was that Kise knew!...

But it couldn't be, right? He himself had just come to know when Kuroko had broken-up with him about a month ago…

Not realizing he had been caught staring, Kagami was jolted back to reality by Kise poking his cheek relentlessly.  
"Oi-!"  
"You were staring Kagamicchi"  
"W-What-"  
"Actually, you were spacing out. Is everything ok? You haven't even touched your burgers."

Gritting his teeth and lowering his gaze- he was pretty sure he was blushing due to embarrassment- he gingerly grabbed a burger from the pile and took a large bite.

Gulping the first burger down within moments, he decided to just **do it **without thinking about it. So, reaching for another burger, he started,  
"So uh… How are you and Aomine?"

Kise stared at him for a moment, as if contemplating what to do, before smiling that sunshine smile of his and replying,  
"We're doing awesome ~ssu! How are Kurokocchi and Kagamicchi doing? I remember you were finally going out with Kurokocchi since a while before my wedding!"

Not really having anticipated this, Kagamis' eyes widened and he fell silent for a moment. Kise continued his meal with that overly-sweet (VERY FAKE) smile still plastered on his gorgeous face- but it never reached his eyes.

Finally collecting his thoughts, Kagami decided to be completely honest. He wasn't here to beat aroung the bush- which seemed to be exactly what Kise was trying to do. So he simply answered,  
"…Kuroko broke up with me."

Silence. Deafening silence followed and time seemed to stop…

Till Kise managed to close his gaping mouth before putting a hand on Kagamis' hand which rested on the table and saying,  
"I'm sorry. … But why?"

Kagami glared at Kise, biting through his third burger. With Kises' indifferent expression and hardened eyes (although his tone had been rather soft), he was sure the blond knew- but was still lying to himself.

"Kise, do you know where Aomine is all those nights he doesn't come home?"

Taken by surprise at Kagami's utter bluntness, he got tongue-tied, unable to quickly respond with a lie and deceiving smile.

That was all it took for Kagami to note that even Kise wasn't stupid enough to continue lying, so he gave a short triumphant smirk…

Only to see the models' eyes tearing up as he tried to desperately blink them away whilst lowering his head so his bangs covered his eyes.

Kise suddenly felt like there was a huge lump in his throat and felt like spitting out the food that was already in his mouth. However, with trembling hands he was able to get a gulp of water inside, which took the food along with its path. He wanted to speak, to tell Kagami everything! ... but he didn't think it was possible while being suffocated to the point he couldn't even breathe.

Kagami, knowing it must be harder on the blond, returned his earlier gesture by grabbing his hand in a reassuring manner- only to have Kises tears finally spill. The blond started sobbing after a few minutes of trying to unsuccessfully stop his tears, so Kagami paid for their meals and brought a very disoriented, crying Kise out and into the side alley.

Kise was practically bawling in Kagamis' awkward embrace, repeating many incoherent things over and over, out of which Kagami was only able to make out broken phrases like "Not fair", "broke my heart", "never imagined", "fooled me", "hurts"…

Kagami wouldn't be holding Kise like this (_EVER)_ if the blonds' condition wasn't so heart-wrenchingly unbearable to watch.

He didn't know how long he held Kise like that_ except that it was already night.

Kise was sniffling softly now, but still clung to Kagami as if he was some sort of safety-line. Heaving in a shuddering breath Kise spoke up, in a raw voice,  
"Kagamicchi? I don't know how long it's been going on… but Daikicch- Daiki hasn't been himself with me since… it feels like forever. He usually doesn't come home now… I just found out a week ago about his relationship with Kurokocc- Kuroko…" He paused to keep the tears building-up again at bay before continuing,  
"I-I don't know what to do… I tried pretending as if I never discovered it and tried to be normal. But the knowledge is **there**. And the hurt of the memories- of what we _had- _is ten times worse now that I know what I know…"

"Jeez Kise. How much water have you stored in yourself?" Kagami gave a half-hearted chuckle in an attempt to get the blond to at least smile- he felt guilty for causing him to break-down like this.

Kise didn't laugh along though. Didn't even smile. **Couldn't **smile… he just pushed off of Kagamis' chest and looked at him in the eyes, hoping the other would see his sincere gratefulness for listening and being **there**. Kagami just nodded in comprehension and turned to go,  
"I know it hurts worse for you Kise, since you guys were married… But just try to hang on… And… I think it's time you confronted Aomine about this."

Gasping, Kise looked up, "E-Eh?! Confront him about this?!"

Kagami turned abruptly, glaring at Kise menacingly, "It's pointless to keep quiet and pretend you don't know anything Kise", he growled. "At the very least make him feel guilty- heck, even ashamed- about how unfair he's being! You **have **the right" With that, he turned sharply and walked away into the night.

* * *

_**A/N: **__Ohio minna! Irise I took so long ~ssu! __**orz **__And WOA! Just look at how long this chapter turned out to be!...At least __**I **__felt like it was quite long while typing it X3 … -sigh- Well, at least Kagamicchi came! –grins-… Really though… To be honest, I feel this chapter was an utter fail!... And doesn't it seem like I'm just trying to get the load off my chest?! I mean…Ugh…forget it… I'll just go to the losers corner and be depressed alone. Arigato for reading, and gomenasai for the crappyness! __–shoots self-... Oh! ..And, gomenasai for the crappy chapter name!...I couldn't think of anything suitable... orz_

_**SeaWeedHead: **_**Aw really?! Well I guess I can't help it if that's the case, ne? (^~^)**

**Awh! You're one amazing reader! You took interest in the chapter and understood its significance! 3  
I hope this chapter sated some of your eagerness for Kagamicchi to come! ~(^ ^)/**

_**Lady Marshmallow: **__Gehe! Nah! I wouldn't worry about that! X3 Like I said, maybe it's just human nature, ne? ^^ And if it's not, then don't worry still, because O am like that too! (^w^)/  
_

_Gehe! Kagamicchi's here now! Let's see how things go from here!_

_**TheReihai: **_** I'm glad you liked it and took your time to review! It means a lot! Gehe! Sorry! It will happen… but you're right…Ahominecchi WILL pay a heavy price for doing that!**

_**Naomi-yaoi-lover: **__Hello there hun! I'm SO glad you're reading my worthless fic! –sob- Oh don't worry! I'm very ticklish so your threat worked very well! Now I'll continue this even if I'm dead! X3 I hope you enjoyed the fic! Love you too! _


	5. Kises couragefear?

**Chapter 5: Kises courage/fear?**

.

.

Kise honestly felt like puking. His worst fear had been more than proved by Kagami… Of course he still didn't want to believe it… but he didn't wanna be fooled and hurt in silence anymore either…

He knew very well that he was scared. Scared of what will happen if he confronted Aomine about it. Of course he knew that with the way things were going, Aomine was likely to break-up with him_ he wasn't a fool… But… that would at least take time, right? And if he confronted Aomine, everything would just end immediately.

Damn. He wasn't ever a coward… But when it came to love and commitment, he had given it his all. Used all his being. And it hurt to see that that **one **person for whom he did so much, didn't think anything of him anymore. That everything he's worked so hard to build would now just crumble and fade, leaving his scar-filled heart as the only proof that _it _ever existed. That **they **ever existed. That it **only **been him toiling to build and maintain this relationship. And it petrified him.

Had Aomine ever felt anything for him? ...Wait, yea…he had… When had they drifted so apart though? Where had Kise gone wrong?

Burying his head in his hands, he heaved in a sigh, trying to not think about things that stung his heart and pierced his soul. He wasn't gonna plan the speech he'd give to Aomine. No. there would be no speeches. It would just be his heart and his mouth.

_Because he knew … that if he let his brain handle this situation… he'd break…_

* * *

**_A/N:_Ohio minna!... Yea... So this chapter was another one of those "building" chapters. I swear though, I'll try to keep this the last of those time-consuming, useless chapters! orz Forgive me?! Pretty please?!**

_**And oh GAWD! Don't even mention the crappy chapter title! OTL**_

_**PLUS!**__** I wanted to thank all you sweet darlings for favouriting and following! -sob- You all are amazing! Arigato! -bows-**_

**Lady Marshmallo~ ****I really liked your reaction of hugging Ki-chan! 3 Gehe! I'm so glad you think it was cool the way I wrote Kagamicchi! ;3 Irise this chapter wasn't much! orz **

**SeaWeedHead~** _Oh my gosh! You awesome thing! I know right? I honestly love the way you understand and review each chapter! It's great to know you pay so much attention!_

_Mhm!..Honestly..I'm kind of scared about writing those parts out myself X3 ...But don't worry. Ki-chan will pull through (and hopefully, so will I)._

**TheReihani~ ****Well. Here it is! Arigato for your kind words! Hope you enjoy this too...**


	6. Confrontation

**Chapter 6: Confrontation**

.

.

.

_Kiss me hard before you go,  
Summertime sadness.  
I just wanted you to know,  
that baby you're the best._

It was way past midnight. Actually, it was nearly morning: 3:30 am. Aomine Daiki opened the front door and locked it behind him as silently as possible, so as not to awake his spouse.

The house was only lit by the pale moonlight seeping through the windows, giving whatever it fell on a ghostly glow.

Gulping, the officer shook his head to rid himself of any unwanted thoughts: he did NOT want to think about it!...But then again, Tetsu was more or less of a ghost himself, ne? And he was taking advantage of his unsuspecting spouse and the supposed love of his life, to be with that ghost… But then lately, he had a feeling that maybe Ryouta wasn't so oblivious after all; he had been quieter and didn't even smile at him anymore. He'd also gone pale and stopped eating- that Daiki started fearing for his health!- …and was always lost in thought…looking lonesome and broken.

_I got my red dress on tonight,_  
_dancing in the dark in the pale moonlight._  
_Got my hair up real big beauty style,_  
_high heels off, I'm feeling alive._

He'd always question himself WHY he was going to Kuroko and betraying his spouse… What had seemed a legitimate reason then, seemed a weak and pointless argument now; he shouldn't have been weak enough to be drawn to his middle-school-Shadow's mysteriousness!

He knew full well how unfair it was to his gorgeous partner. And would definitely turn back time if he could…

But he couldn't just leave Kuroko either now. It wouldn't be fair to either of them.

Feeling a headache coming on, he made to head up to their room to change, when suddenly the living-room flooded with light. Shocked, the officer turned on his heel with wide eyes, only to see Ryoutas' shorter, thinner frame beside the light-switch, his head lowered so his bangs covered his eyes.

_Oh, my God, I feel it in the air,  
telephone wires above  
are sizzling like a snare.  
Honey I'm on fire, I can feel it everywhere,  
nothing scares me anymore._

Just as he was about to call out to the blonde, to make sure he hadn't been sleep-walking, the blonde looked up and determined honey-brown orbs clashed with midnight blue.

"Daikic…cchi? We have to talk."

Dumbfounded by the seriousness and **firmness **with which the model was speaking, all he could do was nod and go into the living room, signaling Ryouta to sit and say what he wants, while taking a seat himself. Ryouta walked over and sat opposite him. He hesitated for a fraction of a second before reminding himself of what needed to be done.

_I'm feelin' electric tonight,  
cruising down the coast goin' 'bout 99!  
Got my bad baby by my heavenly side,  
I know if I go, I'll die happy tonight!_

"I-I know what you're doing with Kuroko."

Daiki stared, shocked into silence for a moment- and NO, he didn't miss the lack of the suffix his partner gave to people he respected and loved-, before trying the safest tactic,

"Hm? What am I doing with Tetsu?"

This, however, seemed to irk Ryouta, for he glared at the dark male with anger, indignation and- hurt…and replied with clenched teeth,

"…That you're sleeping with him…"

Silence befell the pair as Daiki's heart clenched at the betrayal in **his **blonde's voice, and he looked down in shame. He couldn't bare the silent sobs of Ryouta that came out, and was just about to rush over and pull the other in a tight embrace, when he spoke again, trying to contain his tears,

"So… What are… you…gonna do?"

This question caught him off-guard. AGAIN.

"Hah? What do you mean Ryou?"

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Ryouta answered,

"W-Well… I- I know that … sooner or later… you'll leave me to be with **him**... I… don't wanna be in your way anymore… You've become so distant… and you… never seem to wanna be home anymore… I think we should -hic- d-divorce", and shut his eyes in a failed attempt to try and stop the flow of tears. He didn't let any other sound escape though.

Every word of his love had pierced his heart and soul, and guilt and shame took over again… He knew that he still loved his baka-blonde. His sunshine. … But he also knew that keeping him would be selfish. And he realized that it wasn't in the models' best interest to be kept.

Holding his urge to burst into tears himself, he went over to where the blonde was seated- crying silently, wordlessly-, and pulled him into a hug. Immediately Ryoutas' pain filled sobs broke out, causing Daikis' own dam of tears to break.

_Kiss me hard before you go.  
Summertime sadness.  
I just wanted you to know,  
that baby you're the best._

They cried till sunrise, in each others' arms, one last time. Shared one last kiss.

When they had both packed up- they had wordlessly agreed to leave this house: it had too many beautiful memories for either to bear alone- and Daiki went off to his job (he'd get all the paper-work done), and Ryouta went off his own way, they both knew it was the last time they'd see each other… especially as lovers.

_I think I'll miss you forever,  
like the stars miss the Sun in the morning skies.  
Late is better than never,  
even if you're gone I'm gonna drive, drive._

* * *

**A/N: ****...Well, to be honest, I think I cried while writing this chapter myself XD Ugh! The bastard feels! Why do they exist?... And well, now I'm kind of in a fix about Aominecchi... I had a hard time writing this part and almost changed the original plan XD .. I'm scared about this failure of a chap though...orz ..It was hard for me to write this: I felt my heart breaking... But don't worry! After much thought, I decided to stick to my original plot... At least we know now that Aominecchi isn't all that heartless -smiles faintly-.. I dunno... ou guys might not feel anything, but this chap really affected me.. ugh. Lemme just go to a corner now and cry my heart out due to the feels and fear of this chapter.  
I hope everybody likes it though...**

**Naomi-yaoi-lover: **_Awwh! Your words are so sweet! And they really made me smile ~ssu! -hugs- Sorry I'm keeping this reply (and replies to all reviews of this chap) short: I'm just too overwhelmed by it! D:_

**Lady Marshmallow: _lol! Are your exams over? XD_ _Arigato for your review ~ssu! ... But I'm sorry you cried! OTL...I hope you liked this chap though...-sigh- Not really comfortable here..._**

**The Reihani: **_You're most welcome! Arigato for reading and reviewing! ^^_

**SeaWeedHead: **_**That's great to know! ^^ I'm sure you make all writers extremely happy! Arigato! 3 ...I'm not really confident with this chappy though...I don't think I pulled through... But i really hope you enjoyed! -bows-**_

**Jenny Pham7: **_ Mhm! -nods- Don't worry! X3 They'll realize!..At least Aominecchi will- DOES... Please enjoy! ^^_

**_And lemme just thank all the people who faved and followed this fic! -bows humbly- I'm greatful!_**


	7. Aftermath

**Chapter 7: Aftermath**

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Kagami had a day off today, and he had decided to sleep in and relax the whole day.

He wasn't gonna get what he wanted though.

Trudging groggily to answer the door, he was ready to yell at whoever had dared to disturb the tiger from his slumber… But on yanking the door open, he was shocked to see a puffy-eyed, red-nosed, disheveled Kise outside his apartment with- what was that?!...his… or someone's luggage…

Still a bit disoriented by the sleep, he could only look at the model stupidly.

Until he was brought back to earth when Kise cleared his throat,  
"Ehem!... umm.. Kagamicchi?"

Realizing what a horrible host he was being- having an uninvited guest or not- he immediately grabbed the luggage from his hands and invited him inside.

"Aah. Kise! … Um. Come in", just by looking at the blonde, he kind of had an idea what the model was there for.

"Ah gomen Kagamicchi… I should've called…but I-"

"It's ok Kise! Just come in first, and then explain. Ok?", Kagami could see the fragile state he was in, and felt obligated to help in any way…since the blonde HAD come to him for help.

A bit shocked, Kise just nodded and entered the threshold to the apartment that was Kagami's home.

Kagami immediately kept the luggage aside neatly, showed Kise to the living room, and went off to the kitchen to prepare something for them to eat. (-snickers- Kagamicchi's adorable and motherly hosting qualities –gets kicked-)

Trying to keep his mind out of the gutter for now, Kise decided to check out the living room… Only to realize how he and Kagami were more similar than he'd thought- and were in very similar situations: both being head-over heels in love, and being betrayed by "that **one **person"… Even though Kagami had seemed really angry at Kuroko that day at the restaurant- and he had every right to be- Kise realized it was just his iron-mask to hide his pain…for it was obvious with all the framed pictures of him and Kuroko, or sometimes just Kuroko occupied almost every empty space in the living room, carefully arranged.

Being reminded of his own bitter-sweet love, Kise felt like bawling again, remembering how their bonds had been severed forever. He wouldn't say he was surprised Aomine hadn't even tried to hold him back… just disappointed… more in himself to think he would than in Aomine for not having stopped him. But on the other hand, he was grateful Aomine hadn't tried to stop him; if he HAD, the blonde would've lost all resolve to do what's right.

Clearing his throat, Kagami effectively broke Kise out of his reverie,  
"Aaaah… The table's set. Come, let's eat."

Putting on what he hoped at least LOOKED like a cheerful smile, Kise nodded at Kagami and went to wash his hands in the kitchen.

* * *

"Itatakimasu~"

"Itatakimasu~"

They dug-in into the delicious breakfast Kagami had prepared- or Kagami dug-in, to be more precise. Kise was mostly not eating- he'd barely taken four bites into his system before he stopped eating.

He himself didn't know how he'd managed to get even that much down his throat. He felt he'd choke if he ate anymore, so he stopped even pretending to eat.

All of this, of course, didn't go unnoticed by Kagami's blood-red eyes.

Just as he was about to ask the blonde though, Kise snapped, suddenly banging both fists on the table,  
"I can't do this anymore!"

"Kise-"

"No! Listen to me Kagamicchi! Daiki and I- we're… we're done, ok?! I talked to him about it- just like you said- and we're breaking-up! I-I had no idea where to go… NO lemme rephrase that! I could go anywhere… but I … I wanted-NEEDED someone's presence! … I can't deal with losing him alone!... I don't know how you did… So I came here! And I'm sorry I didn't call before coming!...  
But … just help me find a flat… in THIS building. It has to be here! … I can't …I feel like… I dunno… I feel like there's a strong spark of friendship between us… And with what we've been through, we might be able to help each other heal by sticking together… I just… -sob- I'm still not over Daiki… A-And I'm afraid if I'm completely on my own, I might go back… ugh… I-"

"Kise", firm but gentle. "It's ok. I understand." Reaching out across the table, Kagami grabbed the blonde's clenched fist firmly, comforting him, being his anchor.

"I'll book you an apartment in this building… And, to answer your question, I didn't do it alone either: I had my bro, Tatsuya, helping me through… I'll be that Tatsuya for you… O, and till I find you an apartment, you're staying with me."

* * *

**A/N:** -dives behind a table to hide from the flying knives- I'M SORRY! I can FEEL how much of a fail this chap is! OTL Oh lord! Help me! I hope my readers like it! Damn!... I'm an AoKise fan at heart!.. so you should know how painful this fic is for me to write… -sigh- Honestly though, chapter 6 was the hardest for me to write till now.

**SeaWeedHead:** Awh! You're makin me blush! Arigato for the kind words! X3 … Mhm -nods-… It was too kind I guess…but I couldn't stand to hurt them further by making them fight while saying goodbye.  
Kyaaa! I'm an AoKi shipper at heart too! Waa! You are SMART! X3 Yes! It has to come to Kagamicchi!... Oh, don't worry about it…It will come to it…probably.

**Naomi-yaoi-lover:** Awnh! –hugs- I'm so glad you liked it Naomicchi!... And thankyou soooo much for the kind words!

**Thecoldforest:** Woa! Welcome recruit! ^^ Arigato gozaimasu for the review! –bows- Awh! I'm sorry if I made you cry! :'(

**JennyPham7:** Awh! Ihope it affected you in a good way! -smiles-  
Oh gomen! OTL I try to make them as long as possible… but I also have to make sure I don't give too much away beforehand, ne?

**LaDy MaRsHmAlLoW:** O my gawd! Come here you sweet person! -hugs- Really?! Woa! …Seems like a perfect coincidence for you that it's raining while you were reading THAT chap! X3  
Awh! I'm glad you liked that chap and didn't wanna kill me! X3 Woa! Everybody guessed where it was gonna go!

**Myheartsbroken:** O my gosh! Ehe! For a moment there I thought I'd have to hide from your knives and forks X3… I'm so sorry it's sad! orz … but arigato for the last line: I love chu too!

**Zorie Aokisefan:** Oh gosh! Thank YOU for the sweet review! I hope you like this chapter hun! I really enjoyed your review!


	8. Support?

**Chapter 8: Support?**

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Kagami entered his apartment. It had been a long night and the first rays of sunlight breaking through the sky had been a complete relief to his exhausted body and mind. Similar as how it had been to his co-workers who had stayed the shift with him last night.

As expected, his apartment was silent, with only the kitchen-light on and sunlight streaming in here and there. The door to the guest-room- where Kise was currently staying in- was closed, and from the space under the door, Kagami could see that it was pitch-black beyond the door. Meaning the blonde was obviously asleep.

He silently crept his way to his own bedroom, right next to the quest-room, and turned on the light. As tired as he was, he just couldn't give-in to the temptation of crashing on his bed and sleeping till night. So he undressed on his way to his bathroom while tossing his discarded clothes into the laundry basket which was just outside the bathroom.

Stepping under the warm shower, he increased the pressure, letting the water massage the sore muscles of his shoulders and back. After a few relaxing moments he grabbed his shampoo and squeazed some of it onto his palm before lathering it onto his hair. He did the same with his body-wash and soaped his whole body before standing under the shower for another 5 minutes.

Stepping out of the shower, he grabbed a towel and dried himself off before wrapping it around his waist and heading out of the bathroom towards his closet.

Just as he got into a pair of boxers and started drying his hair off, he heard a shriek (not very girly XD) from the other room. For a moment he was so shocked he couldn't move! But another scream had him ripping the towel off his head and throwing it aside, before dashing out his room to the room beside.

Banging the door open, he frantically looked for anyone else in the room, but he saw nothing (and nobody) out of place. A bit relieved, he looked towards the bed, and saw the model sitting up in bed and shaking. A bit alarmed, he turned on the light and saw that the blonde was crying! He rushed over to him.

"Kise! What happened?! Are you hurt?!"

Kise just shook his head, crying harder. Kagami was panicking, but managed to keep calm and shook him gently,  
"Oi Kise. Tell me what's wrong."

This time Kise spoke up in broken sentences,  
"…can't breathe…! …miss him..wanna forget…"

Kagami didn't have a chance to reply because Kise immediately lay back down, closed his eyes, and… went to sleep. As if he wasn't crying just a moment ago!

Kagami tried talking, or getting any reaction out of Kise, but it was obvious he was already in Dreamland… Confused, he sat there for a while more, deciding to go and sleep in his room after making sure Kise won't start crying again.

x-X-x

He woke up to the delicious smells of omelet, toast, and another thing he couldn't recognize. He sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, and just stayed there for a few minutes… till he realized his surroundings weren't so familiar. Immediately all signs of drowsiness vanished as his eyes widened in shock. He wasn't in his room! This was…! But how?!

Trying to calm himself and not hyperventilate, he started going through the events before he fell asleep: he'd come home, exhausted, taken a shower…checked on Kise when he'd heard him scream… THAT WAS IT! He didn't remember going back to his room! Internally face-palming, he couldn't believe that he'd fallen asleep with Kise!

He nearly got a heart-attack just as he got out the bed though… '_WTF?! I was only in my boxers?!'_ Great! Now Kise'll probably think he was a pervert!

He sneaked out of the room, and just as he was about to creep into his own room, Kise's cheery voice called out (FROM RIGHT BEHIND HIM!),  
"Ah! You're up Kagamicchi! I was just about to come wake you up!"

Rooted to the spot (with fear and shock –gets kicked by Kagamicchi-), he slowly turned around, dreading a punch or kick from Kise.  
"Ah- heh! G'mornin Kise! Uu.. I-"  
"Kagamicchi should wash up and **get dressed**! Breakfast's ready!... or lunch..since it's 1pm already…", Kise was already disappearing back into the kitchen.

Kagami stood still for a moment after Kise was gone before rushing into his bathroom to brush his teeth, AFTER he put on a shirt!

As he entered the kitchen, Kise had laid out two omelets with a couple toast each, opposite one another, while he poured warm milk in two mugs and brought them to the table. He noticed Kagami in the entrance as he turned towards the table,  
"Eh? Why standing there? Come pick a seat Kagamicchi!"

He dumbly made his way towards the kitchen-table and sat at the seat closest to him. Picking up a toast, he put his omelet on it, before placing his other toast on top, sandwiching the omelet between the toasts, and took a huge bite. Kise sat opposite him, doing the same. He reached out for his mug, but immediately pulled his hand back. He'd expected **white**milk to be in it!... But there was this reddish-brownish liquid instead! He looked baffled, and Kise just chuckled, understanding his confusion,  
"Kagamicchiii~! It's tea!"  
"What kind of tea is this?!"  
"Eh? I expected you to know ~ssu! It's made by putting some warm water in the cup, with a tea-bag or two, and sugar, and then adding warm milk ~ssu! My granny taught me!"  
"O-Oh… how did your grandmother know?"  
"Hm? She lives in America, and she has a Pakistani neighbor there. They used to work together and became very close, so she taught grandma!"

Nodding silently, Kagami finally took a sip of the drink. It was… surprisingly tasty!

Kagami knew that just one sandwich won't fill him. But he didn't know how to voice his thoughts out without offending poor Kise, who'd so eagerly made breakfast.

He shouldn't have worried though.

Just as he finished the sandwich in his second bite, Kise got up and brought his huge-ass hot-pot over, placed it in front of Kagami, and removed the lid. Kagami only stared in awe at its contents: Kise had made about a dozen sandwiches for him!

Kagami must've been making a funny face, because Kise giggled and explained,  
"Kagamicchi! I remember your monstrous appetite!"

His face coloring up a pretty red, he harrumphed and dug-in.

Only to immediately choke on the words that left Kise's mouth next,  
"Kagamicchi? Why were you sleeping with me?.."

Taking a gulp of his tea, Kagami spluttered a little before replying,  
"I-I can explain Kise! I came home and was dressing up after a shower when I heard your screams and rushed over, and you were crying, but when I asked you, you lay back and fell asleep! I was spooked! So I stayed a bit longer to make sure it won't happen again!...Only..I fell asleep there too…"

Kise's eyes were slightly wide, and his head tilted to the side cutely,  
"E-Eh? I don't remember crying, or screaming.."  
"Sor-"  
"Ah! But arigato for being there Kagamicchi!"

* * *

**A/N:** _Hey! Finally an update! Gomen! I have no excuse..other than lack of motivation. Anyway, hope you liked this chappy! …Psst! I had a hard time writing Kagamicchi's shower scene XD I never thought that even guys shampoo their hair! ..Oh! and Kise's "nightmare" scene: I wrote it from my own experience. It happened to me. It's called Night terror, and the person experiencing it doesn't remember anything I on waking up._

_Ah!..and this is shameful of me..but please check out my "AHOmine and Idiot-blonde"_

**zorieaokisefan:** Awnh! Gehe! Nope! It doesn't make you cruel at all! Look what Ahominecchi's been doing!..Hmm..Slowly, but surely, they'll get there!...i just hope I can successfully make them fall in love D: Thank you sooo much for your kind words! –hugs- They made me smile!

**JennyPham7:** Awnh! Thankyou so much for understanding! :D

**Naomi-yaoi-lover:** Awnhh! Naomicchi! Arigato! –glomps- Enjoy this chappy!

**Lady Marshmallow:** Pfft! I love your sides! They're so cute! XD Ah! This baka fic! My Aokise side is crying, but KagaKise side is rejoicing! Hope you like this chappy!

**SeaWeedHead:** Gehe! Hope you like this! ;D Ain't Kagamicchi JUST awesome?!

**Blackoplaz21:** Awh! Im glad you like this fic so much! Arigato gozaimasu for reviewing! I hope this chappy was upto your liking!


	9. Guilt

**Chapter 9: Guilt**

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Aomine wandered around the city aimlessly. He didn't have duty today, and he hated it coz whenever he didn't have work occupying his mind now, his thoughts would automatically wander to the one blonde who had conquered his heart and soul, but had ended up getting hurt by him. Oh how he regretted ever hurting him like that.

He'd known all along he'd suffer after letting his sunshine go.

A couple sessions with Tetsu after the separation didn't help at all… only reminded him of what he'd done. Which lead him to be kind-of avoiding Tetsu now…

He'd tried shooting hoops on one such occasion while he was trying to do anything but dwell on his and Kises' past. It didn't end well for him: basketball reminded him of the countless one-on-ones the blonde had forced him into. The way he never won even one of them but kept insisting for more, promising to beat him the next time!

And in that moment, he'd felt his heart stop, and his lungs wouldn't expand to allow him to breathe. All the memories had flooded him and, unable to stand, he'd fallen onto his knees, head buried in the palms of his hand, barely stopping the agonized cry that was bubbling in his chest.

He was snapped out of the recent-past when he walked-into, literally walked-into, something small and nearly tripped. His arms had instinctively shot out and steadied the thin- …wait! **It **was a kid! He stared at the kid stupidly for a minute or so, while the kid- probably 6 or 7- stared up at him with big, round golden-brown eyes… which reminded him of a certain blonde all the more.

"Umm, sowwy mistah! Are you ok?", the kid seemed adorable mature. … _HOW did he get Kise's eyes?!_

"Aa..I'm fine. You ok?", he HAD to be sure this wasn't Kises' kid… Thankfully, other than the alluring irises, he didn't seem to have any other feature of the blonde..except for his care for others even when his self was hurt.

The kid beamed at him and nodded . just as he turned to go, Aomine somehow stuttered out,  
"H-Hey kid?! Where's your parents?!"

The kid turned to him with a grin before proudly pointing ahead to a kinda-young coupe exiting a small shop not too far away. They looked happy. And the memories the vision brought hurt too much, were too much for his heart to handle. Still, he managed a small grin at the kid, and watched him trot off to his parents.

xXx

He still had Kises' number_ he knew that the blonde wouldn't have changed his number, and he could call him whenever. But he didn't. He didn't wanna put Kise through another hell: if he was suffering, it didn't mean he could make Kise suffer too. He had no right. No one did.

But that didn't mean he wasn't itching to know how the blonde was doing. Where he was… Was the idiot eating well? All sorts of questions kept him awake at night. He could always use his conections in the police department…but he immediately tried to get rid of the idea, no matter how tempting, for he couldn't stand Kise hating him more. Didn't wanna give him reason to hate him more.

He knew ignoring Tetsu now was wrong. That didn't make it easy to stop and just go to him again either.

He had made it as far as the entrance to his building in the past week a few times…only to turn on his heels after a minute of just standing there and sprinting home like his life was in danger.

Not wanting to feel any worse than the scum he did for everything with Kise, he turned on his phone, texted Tetsu a "i'm ok. just busy" before immediately shutting it off again.

**A\N: **_**Heyya reader-sans! –bows apologetically- I'll keep this note as short as possible. I'm sorry for the lateness! I was actually thinking of rewriting this whole chapter, coz it's too lame even for me, but I didn't wanna keep you guys waiting anymore…PLUS I wanted to show Aominecchi suffering (as per requested by a few readers –wink, wink- -gets kicked-). I hope this satisfied everybody for the time being? RL is horrible on me. Honestly, I've even attempted..! Ugh forget it. Reviews are most appreciated: I wanna know your thoughts. Your compliments keep me motivated, and thoughts make me smile.**_

**Naomi-yaoi-lover: **_ Patience Naomicchi! ^^ I hope this chappy satisfied your needs a bit ;)_

**Daktasinsanity: **_Omfg! LoL! It had nothing to do with dirty-mindedness XD I guess I just never gave thought to how a guy would shower… You're not a guy though, right? I'd hate to have offended you! And I'm SO glad you'll read this to the end! –sobbing-_

**LaDy MaRsHmAlLoW: **_lol! Of course I liked them: after all, I completely understand you! I'm so glad you liked chapter 8! _

**TheReihani: **_Ah thankyou! Please enjoy this too! __ …_

**JennyPham7: **_Gehe! They are, aren't they?! Hope chapter 9 wasn't too annoying for you! orz_

**thecoldforest: **_Mhm! –nods- It's sweet, ne? _

**Zorieaokisefan: **_Pfft! I love your eagerness Zoriecchi! Hmm.. Honestly, I'd planned for Kise to move into Kagamicchi's room XD .. I'll see how I can make it happen without things seeming to be rushed.  
You DO?! It's tasty ne? :D  
Awnh! You're making me blush Zoriecchi! Arigato!...Hmm..no..not their first kiss….but I'll try! Xoxo_

**SeaWeedHead: **_Gehe! I'm so glad you liked the chappy! –glomps- ..Does chap 9 answer part of your question? ;)_

**Yuukilover: **_Awnh! Arigato recruitcchi! I'm so glad you're liking this! Arigato for taking the time to read and review! _


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